Tibet following Kosovo’s lead?
In an interview today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov linked the ongoing violence in Tibet to the dreaded "Kosovo precedent": There are grounds to presume that this is not occurring by chance […] You can see what is happening in China’s autonomous region of Tibet, how the separatists there are acting. The Albanians in Macedonia ...
In an interview today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov linked the ongoing violence in Tibet to the dreaded "Kosovo precedent":
In an interview today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov linked the ongoing violence in Tibet to the dreaded "Kosovo precedent":
There are grounds to presume that this is not occurring by chance […] You can see what is happening in China’s autonomous region of Tibet, how the separatists there are acting. The Albanians in Macedonia are already demanding a level of autonomy that is a clear step toward independence. Furthermore, events in other areas of the world give us grounds to assume that we are only at the beginning of a very precarious process."
It seems like the sinister implication of Kosovo for the future of the nation-state is fast becoming one of the Russian government’s favorite rhetorical devices. Except for when it isn’t of course.
(Hat tip: Robert Amsterdam)
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.